Law enforcement, who alleged that demonstrators set off fireworks outside the jail, did not issue dispersal orders or interact with the demonstrators during the protest. Instead, over a dozen Pima County Sheriff’s Department officers used aerial surveillance to identify a group of people on the Santa Cruz River Park Trail nearly a mile from the detention complex and arrested all of them, as well as two bicyclists almost two miles away. Those arrested were each charged with felony riot, which carries a two and a half year maximum penalty.

“After subjecting these twelve people to three months of uncertainty, court dates, and thousands of dollars of legal fees, we are relieved that the county has given up on the prosecution of this ridiculous case,” said Glen Frieden, a supporter, “But the horrors of incarceration and policing in Pima County continue unaddressed.”

The protest was a noise demonstration, which have long been used to show solidarity with those confined to jails and prisons–the music and rhythms allow incarcerated individuals, who often can’t see the protesters, to hear that they are present.“Demonstrations like this are a natural response to this country’s inhumane system of incarceration, which inflicts suffering especially on communities of color, as well as on all working class people, who frequently can’t afford bail and are held until their court dates,” Johnson added. According to Arizona law, trials can be scheduled up to 120 days, or four months, after an initial arrest.

“The Sheriff’s Department may be taking their cues from agencies around the country who are increasingly using riot charges as a way to quell dissent,” added Frieden, “But we are not deterred. As long as people are locked away in jails and prisons, others will stand up to let those inside know they are not forgotten.”

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